At the appointed time the ordinance was performed, a number of persons being present who came for the purpose of sneering at the rite, and making sport of its sacredness, which they did, but which the Elders paid only little attention to, being accustomed to the jeers of the wicked. On the same evening there was a pleasant association at the residence of the newly-baptized family, the time being spent in singing sacred songs, and in conversation. Retiring at 9 o'clock, leaving their bedroom door open owing to the heat, they were at 11 o'clock rudely awakened, ordered to get up, to accompany a mob of about fifteen men to the woods.
"You are a pretty-looking lot of fellows," said one of the Elders as he counted them, and glanced at their masked faces.
"What do you consider the Savior would think of your mission, if He were here? Why do you disturb the slumbers of the peaceful citizens at night, thus hideously masked? If we have transgressed any law, we are amenable; take us before your magistrates, and we will answer to any charge you may prefer."
"We don't want you to preach any more in this locality," said one of the masked men.
"Then the best way to stop us is to induce the people to cease attending our meetings."
At this juncture the inmates of the house were alarmed, and Mr. B. came in, taking a glance at each of the disturbers.
A voice on the outside was heard to cry: "Captain! captain! enough said, enough said."
The mob then withdrew, and the Elders retired again, still leaving the door unlocked. They remained there the following day, but subsequently spent some time visiting friends in other districts. In the course of two weeks they returned to the same place. On their way thither, there were a few who hurled insults at them, but to this they paid no attention. They arrived at Mr. Brooks' house at 5 o'clock in the evening where they met companions, and where the time was spent in speaking of the gospel, singing hymns, and in conversing upon a variety of subjects concerning Utah and her people. No signs of disturbance appeared, save an occasional ominous bark of the house dog.
The Elders retired with sweet recollections of home, to be roughly awakened at 2 o'clock at night, by the harsh cry of "Surrender." They were surrounded by a horde of ruffians, armed with guns, pistols and clubs; and in the most blasphemous language, were ordered to get up, the mobbers in the meantime brandishing their weapons in the faces of the Elders. Not obeying orders as rapidly as the mob wished them to, they were each (there being four of them), seized by two of the cowards, one on either side, dragged from their beds in an inhuman manner, and marched along the road, an eighth of a mile, dressed only in their thin summer night-clothing. Resistance was impossible, and the attempt of the proprietor of the house to assist them was met with curses, a blow across the forehead, with the exclamation: "If you show your head out of this house before 6 o'clock tomorrow morning, we will kill you."
The train marched on, the vilest curses and the blackest oaths being uttered against them that mortals can express. There was no charge preferred against them, and they said: "If we have broken any law, take us before the courts," but the only reply was: